Two men are free after murder charges were dropped in the 2009 disappearance of a man authorities said was shot and incinerated over a $70,000 drug debt he was owed.

Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey said Friday the charges were dropped against 51-year-old Paul Moccia of Dedham and Daniel Bradley of Westwood because the recent natural death of Moccia's brother Robert, a key witness, made prosecution "not feasible." Morrissey said the investigation remains open and the men could be prosecuted later.

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Prosecutors had alleged Paul Moccia shot 37-year-old Angel Ramirez, and Bradley dismembered and incinerated the body, which hasn't been found.

The Boston Globe reports both were released Friday at Norfolk Superior Court, and Moccia's lawyer, Steven Boozang, said prosecutors built the case on witnesses who "couldn't tell the truth if their lives depended on it."